The Right Place at the Right Time
by thegoodgirldoll
Summary: Minerva is lying on the ground moments after her attack in OOTP, and who better to find her than the one person who most needs to be assured that it is no coincidence when you are in the right place at the right time? Oneshot. Written for Faithful MageWhisperer. Please R&R!


**Author's Note: Dear Andrea, here it is- because I promised. And though it takes me awhile to follow through, I do keep them. I trust you know this by now. I hope this story came at the ****_right_****_time today._**

**Blessings,**

**Sarah**

Minerva feared for a moment that she was paralyzed.

She wasn't going to stand again; she wouldn't be able to get up and get away… She wouldn't be able to teach. Her racing heart stilled at that thought- it was even as though the world did. It had always been her dream to teach; teach other students that were eager. Students like Ron Weasley, who despite his broken wand, tried so intensely to change his rat into tea cup. She even dreamed of teaching her students defense… it was then at that thought that she realized if she was teaching herself defense, she would have failed. Here she was, lying on her back, frozen down with what felt to be knives stabbing her at every entry way to her body. She saw Hagrid's Hut in double; the cold hay and broken grass that was dried up with chilly air poked into her thin cloak, and left the most minute cuts on her shoulder blades and sent chills down her spine.

Minerva wasn't one to cry. In fact, the possibility that she would begin to now took her self-esteem down about ten notches. Her heart was broken; shattered. Yes, emotionally, but perhaps physically too. The pain that was spreading through her body felt like a highly physically disease- coursing its way through her veins and getting ready to rear high and strike into her heart. The pain was mounting in her chest; it was becoming hard to breath. She grabbed at the air as she opened her mouth, breathing in through her nostrils and closing her mouth, as though trying to hold the oxygen there. It was no use, though, she could hardly feel, let alone breathe. She was thankful that she could hardly feel, but wasn't going numb going into shock? Minerva didn't want to pass out here… she didn't want one of her students to find her like this.

It was in that moment that she heard footsteps coming towards her. Minerva internally flinched, and her excruciating anxiety mounted once again deep in the pit of her stomach. Who was it that was coming to get her? Who had noticed her body lying on the ground, against the hard stones and browning grass. She closed her eyes partly because she didn't want to see who had noticed her, and face her assumed student, and another part because she wanted to desperately stop the flow of tears that were rushing to her eyes and about ready to spill over completely. She heard the voice then, though, and her eyes flew open.

"Are you alright, professor?" Severus asked, dropping to his knees beside her.

Not once had Minerva ever seen such fear in Severus's face; such love. Her eyes tried to speak to him since her voice couldn't. They darted around frantically, and it was only then that he understood she couldn't move, nor could she speak. He grabbed her wand first, then, and stowed it in his cloak before getting a good grip on her and scooping her up into his arms. Her dead weight hung against the frame of his arms and hands, and her head rested against his shoulder. She couldn't feel him, and could hardly hear him, but she could _smell _him. He smelt of burnt cauldrons and ginger spice. He did love his Pumpkin Pie. Every year at the first feast he would eat three slices. Seeing him eat was the only time Severus showed such passion…Other than that it was mourning Lily, (as Minerva had noticed all these years), and teaching a class that not even half his heart was in.

It broke Minerva's heart to know there was another teacher on campus that just didn't appreciate their job. Another teacher should surely be like her, right? Adoring their job and wanting nothing more than to teach students whatever subject material they could get their hands on? It hurt Minerva to think that Severus was suffering so, but he was indeed her hero- he was due respect. Her eyes found his at the right moment and he shook his head before saying softly: "Don't try to talk. Stunners to the heart are very dangerous. It's best you relax as much as possible. You are safe now, deputy."

Minerva said nothing but in her eyes Severus could see it- she was wondering how he knew.

"Minerva," he addressed her for the first time by her first name. "There is nothing but a stream of stunners that could even _consider _bringing you down."

At this, Minerva would have smiled, but the pain was shooting up her spine now, and she could hardly focus.

"We're almost there," Severus stated.

The rest of the walk was silent as Minerva watched the rolling hills fade, the forest fade, and the castle approach. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head eventually where they stayed for a few hours. She came to only a few times during the night, glanced around the room despite the stiffness in her neck, and then fell back to sleep. It was nice to have rest, but it would have been even nicer to not have been forced to rest at all. Every few hours Madame Pomfrey would bring her medication in, prop her up on her pillows further, and explain as much as she could about the stunners before she passed back out.

Finally, two days later, Minerva was able to keep her eyes open for longer than ten minutes, and when she did come completely to, Severus was sitting by her bedside. He appeared surprised, as though he hadn't been expecting, nor had he been _wanting _her to awaken while he was there, but she had. She offered him a gentle smile of assurance and held out her hand.

"Come, Severus, help me up."

Severus jumped to his feet immediately, and braced under her arms to help lift her further up on her pillows. When she was situated, she began her conversation with him.

"Thank you, Severus," her words were forced, as though there were nails in her throat, and her voice was very low. He strained himself to hear her even though her statements were so small.

"Don't thank me, professor. I was in the right place at the right time. I did for you what I would have," his mouth snapped shut and he looked away from the bed.

Minerva stared at him and reached out her hand to touch his shoulder.

"You can say it, Severus: you did for me what you would have done for Lily."

"Had I been in the right place at the right time," he responded flatly. "But I wasn't. I just wasn't."

"I consider myself lucky it is you that found me, Professor Snape. I am sure that Lily consider you a very good friend; that she would have been thankful too."

"I do miss her."

"I know you do. But what more can you ask for than to be teaching her child?"

"Why do you always go back to teaching, Minerva? When you talk about teaching, it's like," he thought on his next words for a moment. "It's like everything is right with the world when you are teaching. Teaching gives you purpose, I see."

"It does," Minerva agreed. "And it can give you purpose too, Severus. You aren't teaching those kids by accident."

He turned away but she tapped his shoulder. Sleep was overcoming her once more and with heavy eyes, and a low voice, she realized he was leaning close to her to hear her last words before she fell back into a slumber: "By teaching those kids, Professor Snape, you are in the _right _place, at the _right _time, every single day."


End file.
